Inside the carriage, a simply dressed, ordinary-looking Great Shaman sat on a stool.
He appeared like an average passerby uncle with a beard, wearing clothes clearly woven from insect silk, seamless and not in the style of Tang Kingdom but rather common in Wu Deity Mountain.
He asked Li Qi a question from his seat.
Upon hearing the Great Shaman's words, Li Qi immediately nodded. "That's true."
The two young masters beside him glanced over at Li Qi.
Yan Ke looked incredulous—had Li Qi really done such a thing?!
Bo Yue had a pained expression as if to say, "I knew you'd do something like this."
The Great Shaman didn't comment further but continued, "Then, Young Master Qi, can you explain why?"
Li Qi lifted his head proudly. "She is my wife, who came willingly with me."
The Great Shaman raised his eyes slightly, showing a hint of surprise.
He then said, "But I heard that you fought with Zhu Fengdan at Luo Fu Mountain's gates and forcibly took her away, causing a Rank Official to apologize personally."
"Uh, maybe it was a misunderstanding," Li Qi replied, taking advantage of the fact that the Great Shaman wasn't directly reading his mind.
Great Shamans were generally more refined and rarely read others' minds directly, even though they had the ability.
"A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding that led to a Rank Official apologizing?" The Great Shaman raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe the misunderstanding was indeed big, but Shuibijun definitely came with me voluntarily," Li Qi stated honestly.
"A Fifth Rank Daoist True Person, are you saying you're in love? Li Qi, perhaps you don't understand that there's a fundamental difference between Fifth Rank and Eighth Rank; you could almost be considered different species," the Great Shaman pointed out.
Li Qi pursed his lips.
It sounded as if they were the same species at birth...
They weren't the same species from the start anyway.
However, Li Qi didn't argue further, merely bowing and saying, "Great Shaman, please see through this."
This was a passive-aggressive way of saying, "Believe it or not."
"Forget it, just take responsibility for your actions," the Great Shaman shook his head, seemingly unconcerned.
He then turned to another side and said, "Zhong Minglou, handle this matter yourself. Let the kids resolve their issues."
With that, Li Qi suddenly looked up to see a blind man emerge from the carriage!
It was the fortune-teller who had predicted they would meet again!
Damn, he really was a fortune-teller and had followed them.
"Junior apprentice, look, we meet again," this blind man adjusted his hair and smiled 'at' Li Qi.
Though he couldn't see, his gaze felt penetrating.
Zhong Minglou, a diviner, looked ordinary but with a mask covering half his face and dressed in Tang Kingdom attire with a ponytail, gave off an air of a gentlemanly scholar.
His habitual smile added to the mysterious nobleman impression.
However, Li Qi was puzzled and ignored Zhong Minglou, turning to the Great Shaman instead. "Wait, Great Shaman, didn't you say only three people were admitted? Why is there a fourth?"
The Great Shaman stood up, packing his belongings. "Yes, three—Zhong Minglou, Yan Ke, Bo Yue. You sneaked over here without permission, who said you could enroll?"
Li Qi felt a headache coming on.
So petty!
Just because he left early, how did he offend him?
Wait, no.
As Li Qi's headache worsened, he realized if he couldn't enroll, how had he attended classes yesterday? His terminal had registered his identity.
Just as Li Qi sensed something amiss, the Great Shaman said, "However, although you can't be specially admitted, I've still enrolled you for the entrance exam in twenty-one days. You'll compete with others for a few spots."
"I've assigned Zhong Minglou to investigate your situation. Discuss among yourselves how to cover up any discrepancies. Lying is fine, but don't get caught by Zhong Minglou—I'll score you."
"I have matters to attend to. I'll pick you up for the banquet later. Six hours until then, stay here or go out, but be back before I return."
The Great Shaman left the carriage, leaving four youths staring at each other.
"Cough, cough." Yan Ke, the charming shaman, broke the silence. "Alright, now it's just us, let's not make things awkward. By the way, I'm Yan Ke."
"Since we'll all be in Tang for some time, let's get to know each other better. Hello, Li Qi, nice to see you again. Thanks for your help last time; I reflected on your advice and gained new insights into our lineage."
Li Qi nodded and bowed slightly. "Hello, Senior apprentice Yan, glad to help."
"I'll introduce you. This is Li Qi, a disciple of Zhu Fengdan from the Human-Ghost lineage," Yan Ke tried to ease the tension.
"Bo Yue, introduce yourself too. It's your first time meeting Li Qi, right?" Yan Ke prompted.
Bo Yue sighed deeply, looking annoyed. "I'm definitely closer to him than you, stop it. Finally some peace, let me be!"
Clearly, Bo Yue was very upset.
Yan Ke smiled apologetically, not pressing further. "Let me introduce him. Bo Yue, a diviner from the Divination lineage, taught by Master Shuxuan."
He then introduced Zhong Minglou: "Zhong Minglou, a diviner from the Observation lineage, taught by Elder Jiang Ding."
Li Qi nodded, understanding.
He learned Bo Yue was from the Divination lineage, which made sense.
Diviners were divided into Dream Interpretation, Divination, and Observation lineages. Dream Interpretation involved entering dreams to uncover past events and future motives, focusing on reasoning and analysis. Divination used mathematical methods for predictions, emphasizing intellect. Observation was purely esoteric, observing changes in qi to predict fortunes.
Finally, Yan Ke introduced himself: "Lastly, I'm Yan Ke, a Human-Ghost shaman. No need to elaborate, you probably already know."
Yan Ke's efforts helped break the ice somewhat, though the atmosphere remained awkward.
Bo Yue focused intently on his device, appearing ready to fight anyone who disturbed him. Zhong Minglou remained silent, smiling enigmatically at Li Qi, making him uneasy.
Li Qi, feeling out of place, exchanged glances with Yan Ke, both sighing simultaneously.
Indeed, diviners were oddballs.
At least shamans were more normal!
After reaching this consensus, communication became easier.
Yan Ke moved closer to Li Qi. "Forget about diviners. But you, Junior apprentice, how did you think of running off alone? And what about the True Person of Moon?"
"Why does everyone care about this?" Li Qi wiped his sweat, shaking his head.
These people, caring about his wife?
He explained, "Everything I said was true."
Yan Ke's expression changed, filled with astonishment. "Sneaking over... a Fifth Rank True Person, how did you manage that? The Great Shaman said she's Fifth Rank?"
Li Qi was annoyed. "Why are you so surprised, Senior apprentice?"
"Fifth Rank is a great power. Don't you know one rank is like a whole new world? Their perspectives differ greatly. My master once gave me an example..."
Yan Ke recounted an analogy about feeding mice, illustrating how creatures perceive only parts of reality, unable to grasp the entirety.
Li Qi understood. Even if you disguise yourself perfectly, the mice recognize only your hand, unaware of your full form.
Fifth Rank and Eighth Rank were similar in perception.
Reflecting on this, Li Qi wondered if Shen Shuibijun's loss of cultivation and naive nature allowed her to understand mortal thoughts better.
Realizing this, Li Qi pondered whether her recovery might cause complications.
Shouldn't be, right?
While Li Qi worried, Yan Ke turned to Zhong Minglou. "Junior apprentice Zhong, aren't you going to talk to Li Qi? You need to write a report, right?"
Zhong Minglou smiled mysteriously. "No need, I already know."
Li Qi and Yan Ke exchanged looks, finding it hard to communicate with diviners.
Talking to diviners... so difficult.
They resumed chatting, discussing recent events.
Through talking, Li Qi learned about Yan Ke and Bo Yue's situations.
Initially, only Zhong Minglou was supposed to come, with two more chosen based on divination. Surprisingly, the higher-ups trusted Zhong Minglou's prediction.
Yan Ke initially had personal matters but reconsidered after reflecting on Li Qi's words about manipulation versus guidance. Realizing guidance aligns with the Human-Ghost lineage, Yan Ke decided to join happily.
Bo Yue, however, was displeased, having been researching the Guangyang mountain-water array and achieving breakthroughs. The sudden summons interrupted his studies, leading to his current frustration.
As they conversed, Bo Yue unexpectedly approached.